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scoop on Gannett If there's a layoff coming, Gannett Blog will have it Jun 4, 2009 Back when newspapers were printing headlines rather than making them, Jim Hopkins was building a career with Gannett newspapers. Then last year, while working for USA Today, Hopkins took a buyout, ending 20 years with the company. But that did not end his association with the newspaper giant. Hopkins is the man behind the Gannett Blog, which launched in late 2007 and has become an important source of information for both Gannett employees and newspaper watchers generally during a time of turmoil for the industry. The blog covers everything Gannett, most critically news about layoffs and furloughs. In fact, some Gannett employees have learned of upcoming layoffs from Hopkins before hearing it from their higher-ups. The blog, supported by ads and donations, has often prompted heated discussion, as when Hopkins attended Gannett’s annual meeting earlier this year, accompanied by a bodyguard, and asked tough questions of management. But the stress and time demands of editing the blog have taken their toll, and Hopkins recently announced that he will stop publishing the blog on Oct. 1. Among the reasons he cites: the “fear-filled, desperate, angry -- even suicidal, on occasion” tone of his readership. Hopkins talks to Media Life about why he’s quitting, what he’s learned, and why he’ll never go back to newspapers. Why did you decide to end the Gannett Blog? My plan always envisioned a built-in expiration date: up to three years after launch. I started publishing it Sept. 11, 2007, so it'll be two years by this coming Oct. 1. What did you hope to accomplish when you started it? I wanted to create a safe place for employees and other Gannett stakeholders to share information so they could make informed choices about their future -- basically, journalism 101. From my Jan. 11, 2008, post, when I first identified myself as the author of the blog: “Today, much of Gannett is experiencing the uncertainty we saw in Arkansas in the summer of 1991. But now, technology empowers the company's nearly 50,000 employees to communicate in ways not possible 16 years ago.” http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-life-on-internet-time.html Do you feel you've succeeded? Yes. What did you learn from the experience? Be careful what you wish for. I thought I wanted to be famous. And I achieved a small measure of that. But fame can kill. Why did the blog become so popular? There was -- and still is -- no competition. Do you think it tapped into greater feelings of frustration over where the newspaper industry is going? Absolutely. What was the business model for the blog? I did not plan a business model in the beginning, because Gannett Blog started with a simple question: What would happen if I offered to start and edit a blog about one of the world's biggest newspaper publishers? Did you make any money? Since mid-October 2008, I've earned $11,000. How much did you hear from the higher-up Gannett employees that you covered? Very little from most. But from a few, via back-channel communications, quite a lot! Describe your experience at the Gannett annual meeting in April. What did you hope to accomplish, and what kind of response did people have to your presence? From a May 3 post, my year of blogging, dangerously: Why I attended the meeting. In the end, last Tuesday boiled down to two simple goals: 1. Get answers to legitimate questions, reflecting on the character and leadership abilities of Gannett’s Chairman and CEO at a time of crisis for the company. 2. Demonstrate the power of citizen journalism and crowd sourcing, by showing how one man could harness cheap technology to create a community with 35,000 monthly visitors, and then take control of a Fortune 500 company’s employee communications -- in under a year. Responses from readers, they were all across the map. Some thought my performance was brilliant; many thought I suffered a professional meltdown. CEO Craig Dubow answered my questions, which was crucial. Former chairman and CEO Al Neuharth declined to answer a critical question that I posed privately at the request of an estranged family member, however. http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/247-diary-my-year-of-blogging.html What do you see as the future for the newspaper industry? The newspaper industry has no future. It’s dead. On the other hand, I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of journalism. Do you think the massive layoffs will continue in the immediate future? More than likely, yes. What is next for you? Do you foresee a return to newspapers anywhere in your future? I'll never work for newspapers again. The future of journalism for folks like me is as follows: Establish myself as a “brand” online, and remain self-employed. I’m now developing Ibiza Confidential, a new community for adventurous gay men. We're chronicling our journey to the globe’s top cultural and spiritual destinations. Version 3.0 is now up. The formal 4.0 launch is now scheduled for June 27.
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